Forever and For Always
by VectorCrocodileFangirl
Summary: /DISCONTINUED, TO BE REWRITTEN/ - /Mikau x Lulu/ There's a song for every story, and a story for every song.
1. Breakaway

** _Forever and For Always_**

_** Chapter One**_

_ BREAKAWAY_

**A/N:** I've decided to do something a little different with this fic as compared to normal.. namely, for each chapter, I'm going to include a song or multiple songs that helped inspire it in this section. I won't be adding lyrics and turning it into a song fic, it'll be more like giving you a list of things you could listen to while reading for added effect. Each chapter will be named after the song (or, in the case of multiple songs, the one I think fits the most)

**Music:**

"Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson

* * *

><p>When Lulu was a little girl, her mother would always hold her in her lap and sing to her before bed, singing all kinds of songs to her, telling her stories about the Zoran heroes and their many adventures in the Great Seas. She would help her wash her long, delicate fins and sing to her about beautiful Zoran princesses in far off lands. She would cradle her when she was close to tears and sing to her about all of the famous Zora in Termina's history. Lulu had grown up with the sound of her mother's voice close at hand, always ready to sing wonderful songs of romance and adventure to her ailing daughter.<p>

And then one day she was gone.

Lulu's father, a businessman of a Zora King-like build, had been completely distraught at the death of his lovely wife; inconsolable, even. It was even more unfortunate that Lulu hadn't understood what was happening, having her mother there one day and gone the next; she was old enough to understand the concept of death but at the same time, a child doesn't just _assume_ their mother is dead when she vanishes.

Because of her mother's death when she was just very young, Lulu's father had always been _very_ protective of her; he had always chosen friends for her that he specifically approved of, had always set specific boundaries for her to play in and had openly discouraged any boy that showed an interest in her when she started to get a bit older. Lulu loved him deeply, but she'd always wished he'd let her have a little more freedom. It became especially bad when she started to come of age.

"You should really start to think about getting married," he would say to her.

"Father, I'm in the prime of my life," she would always respond. "I have plenty of time to consider getting married. I have things I want to do beforehand."

Every time she said that, her father would chuckle and pat her on the head. "You can still get married and chase your dreams, precious," he would tell her. "Just look at your mother. She married me when she was your age and had you and _still_ had a lucrative singing career. Now, there are some very nice Zoran men I think you should meet.." And it would go the same way every time, with her father telling her about all of the Zora's he thought would be just _perfect_ for her. And she would simply tune him out, as always, thinking about all of the things she could do with her life if she ever left her father. Not that she couldn't leave whenever she wanted- it wasn't like he was keeping her prisoner there or anything- but she knew it would break his heart if she left, and with her mother dead there was no one else to take care of him in her absence. So she stayed with him and dealt with how protective he was of her.

She still had dreams, of course, and things she wanted to do with her life. But they could wait.

* * *

><p>"Lulu, I'd like you to meet Toto! He was your mother's manager when she was a member of the the Indigo-Go's."<p>

"Pleased to meet you, sir."

Lulu had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, even under the well-intentioned stifling nature of her father. Her father tried to keep her away from the undue influence of her peers, usually to great effect; since she'd spent most of her youth keeping to herself, it didn't bother her much that she was still mostly left alone.

Lulu extended her hand to the small, smartly dressed Zora, who took it by his own and kissed her knuckles.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lulu. I hear you're a lot like your mother."

The female Zora blushed a little and tittered gently, her laughter like the sound of bells. "That's what my father always tells me, but I don't quite see the resemblance. It's very nice of you to say, though."

Toto let out a hearty chortle. "Well, you certainly are as _humble_ as her, that's certain. And you're just as beautiful as she was," Lulu smiled at the manager, feeling suddenly bashful. She knew she greatly resembled her mother, but being told she was as beautiful as her was always a wonderful compliment for her. "Do you sing?"

Caught off guard, Lulu held her fist up to her mouth. "Ah- I've never really tried before."

When Lulu's mother was still alive, the house had been perpetually filled with song- as a professional singer, she would sing songs of all sorts as she played with Lulu or did housework or at just about any time, really. As a child, she'd often sung with her; she'd never been as good as her mother, of course, as she'd been very young at the time.

"Oh? Really? Well, maybe you _should_ try! You see, I'm trying to put together a new generation of the Indigo-Go's, and I thought you might be interested."

Lulu's father cleared his throat. "Ah, I'm not sure that's the best idea. Lulu's never been good with crowds, you see, and as you heard her say, she's never tried to sing.."

"Oh? That's a shame, then. I just came to tell her the option was there if she wanted to act on it," he explained. "I should probably be going; the first round of tryouts start today and as the band manager, it would be catastrophic if I were late. Would you mind grabbing my coat and hat, old friend?"

"Of course," Lulu's father replied, waddling off to procure the items Toto had asked for. Once he was out of earshot, the band manager turned to Lulu.

"Your father hardly lets you get a word in edgewise, I see," he said. "The offer is still open, if you want to take advantage of it. We'll be holding auditions today and tomorrow at the Zora Hall. I think it would be lovely to have the daughter of our original singer there."

Just then, Lulu's father returned with Toto's coat and hat. "Here you are, friend. I hope the auditions go well. I'm sure my darling would have _loved_ to see the comeback of the Indigo-Go's."

"I'm sure too, Hock. I'm sure I'll see you soon."

And with that, the small Zora left and her father followed to bid him farewell, leaving Lulu thinking about the Indigo-Go's. The band that her mother had been in. She remembered sitting on her father's shoulders in the huge crowds, watching her mother sing her heart out on stage with her other band members. She had always been so beautiful and happy like that. Lulu wanted to feel like that, too, although she had no idea if she could even _sing_.

Her father came back into the room. "I'm sorry, Lulu, if I'd known that all he wanted was to try and get you to work for him, I wouldn't have brought him to meet you," he sighed, giving his daughter a strong hug. Lulu smiled and gave her father a quick pat.

"It's okay, father. I don't mind. I like to meet old friends of mother's," she replied. Her father released her and held her at arm's length.

"You really do look like her," he sighed. "I don't know what I did to deserve girls like you two."

He kissed the top of her head before wandering off, absorbed in nostalgia. As soon as he was out of the room, she sighed deeply. In spite of how much people told her she was like her mother, her father never gave her the opportunity to actually _act_ like her; she assumed it was a fear of losing her the same way he'd lost her mother, but it still irritated her. In her entire life, however, she'd never done anything to rebel against that.

That was going to change.

A little later, after gathering her courage a little more, she went and found her father where he was lounging. Clearing her throat to get his attention, the leaned against the door frame. He looked up from whatever it was he was doing.

"Yes, sweetheart?" he said in acknowledgement.

"Ah- I'm going to go out and do some shopping, okay, father?" she said. The large Zora smiled at her.

"Of course, dear," he replied. "Don't be too late coming back, okay?"

She returned his smile. "I won't, father."

* * *

><p>Lulu stood outside of the Zora Great Hall, clasping her hands together with her breath caught in her throat. She'd been so excited to finally defy her father for the first time that she could remember, but now that she was there, she was too nervous to enter the auditions. She kept trying to tell herself that she was always told she was like her mother, and her mother had been the lead singer of the Indigo-Go's years ago. But the truth was, she had no idea if she was as good a singer as her mother, or if she could even sing at <em>all<em>.

"Excuse me, miss, do you need help finding anything?"

Startled by the sudden address, she turned around with a little gasp. Standing there was a tall, round Zora with big, gentle eyes. He looked unlike any Zora she'd ever seen, however, sporting what looked like horns on his head and fins stretched between his arms and torso that almost looked like wings. "Oh, I'm sorry, you startled me. No, thank you, I- is this where the auditions for the Indigo-Go's are being held?"

"Yes! Are you here to audition?" he asked. She nodded. "Your name.. it's Lulu, isn't it?"

"Ah- yes, how did you know?" she asked with surprise. He shrugged.

"Toto said a female Zora who looked like the old lead singer of the Indigo-Go's and had the same name would be coming to audition," he replied. "And you look _just_ like her. I'm going to guess you're related?"

"She was my mother," Lulu replied. She extended her hand to the large Zora. "I'm Lulu, but I guess you knew that already."

The bigger Zora shook her hand vigorously. "I'm Tijo. I'm the new drummer."

"I wasn't aware the band already had members," Lulu admitted. Tijo smiled.

"Yeah, we already have a drummer and a keyboardist- we're just looking for a singer, a guitarist and a bassist," he replied. "Hey, come on, let's get you inside and on stage if you're going to be auditioning!" Without another word, he gently ushered her inside, and Lulu obediently followed.

Within the concert hall, a massive stage had been built in the image of an open clam shell. There were clearly marked outlines where instruments were meant to be set up, but at the moment there was only a microphone set up. At the front of the stage sat Toto, who was currently talking to another male Zora with almost eel-like features. When he saw Tijo and Lulu approaching, he stopped the band manager in whatever he was saying and pointed them out. The portly Zora turned around and smiled at the approaching female.

"Ah, Lulu, you made it! I was hoping you'd show up," he said brightly. He then turned to the other male Zora he'd been conversing with. "Evan, this is the prospective singer I was telling you about- she's the daughter of the original Lulu! I think she would be _perfect_ for the job- I mean, don't you just get a good feeling when looking at her?"

Evan, the eel-like Zora, looked her up and down with a less-than-innocent, appraising gaze. "Mm. Yeah. So long as she can _sing_," he agreed. Lulu blushed a brilliant purple as he gave her a full once-over. Toto seemed oblivious to the way he was looking at her, and instead walked up to the young girl and ushered her forwards onto the stage.

"Um- just so you know, I've never really _practised_ before or anything.." she said. Toto gave her a pat on the arm.

"Don't worry, my dear," he said. "I'm sure you'll do just fine. Now get up there and show us what you've got!"

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Lulu stepped up onto the stage and positioned herself in front of the mic. She looked at Evan, Toto and Tijo, all waiting for her to show them what she could do, and almost threw up.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on the fact that her mother had stood on that very stage and performed in front of huge crowds a hundred times over. "What should I sing?" she asked the band manager sitting at the front of the stage.

"Whatever you want, Lulu."

She thought long and hard before deciding on one of the fairy tale songs her mother used to sing to her as a kid, and took the microphone between her hands. They were shaking slightly from how anxious she was feeling, but she tried very hard to ignore it.

As soon as the first note drifted from her lips, everyone in the room fell deathly silent. They stared at her with wonder and awe from the first word to the last of her song as she sang a story of love and loss her mother had lulled her to sleep with a hundred times in her childhood. Her voice echoed around the room as she channelled her mother, echoing the sweetest song she could imagine.

When she finished, everyone was still quiet for a moment, until Toto stood up and started clapping wildly.

"Bravo, bravo!" he cheered. "That was _astounding, _Lulu. You sounded every bit as good as your mother, bless her heart- maybe even _better. _I don't think we have any reason to continue the auditions for singers, do you, boys?" The band manager turned to Tijo and Evan, who nodded in agreement without pause. "Lulu, if you'd like to join the Indigo-Go's, we'd be _more_ than happy to have you."

"Thank you," she said as she smiled, feeling something like hope bubbling up inside of her.

Lulu had spent all of her life being treated like a captured princess; her father doted on her and gave her every material object she could have ever wanted, but his protective nature was stifling and had kept her from really being able to express herself. His habits even kept those he deemed as 'acceptable' friends for his daughter from growing close to her, and thus she'd spent most of her life isolated, a prisoner in her own home. She loved her father deeply and knew it would break his heart if she ever left; she knew he had only her best interests at heart, wanting to keep her from the same fate that befell her mother. But she _wanted_ to be a part of this, to be loved and admired like her mother had been.

She just had no idea how she was going to tell her father.

* * *

><p>"Father?"<p>

Hock looked up from his business reports to see his daughter, Lulu, standing in the doorway of his office. He smiled brightly at her.

"Oh, Lulu, you're back," he said. "I'm sorry, I haven't started dinner yet. Is there anything in particular that you want?"

"Actually, father, I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes," she replied. As she walked up to his desk, his face contorted with worry.

"Is there something wrong, sweetheart?"

"Ah- well. When you first met mother, she was already a singer for the Indigo-Go's, right?" she asked. The Zora father nodded.

"Yes. In fact, I met her after one of her shows."

"And you didn't pressure her to leave the band when the two of you got married?" she asked. Hock smiled.

"Of course not," he said. "She was _born_ to be a singer, I could never take that away from her. Besides, business wasn't as good back then as it is now and your mother's career kept us fed. The only time she ever took a break from work was close to when you were born."

"And.. what if _I_ wanted to sing?" she said, her voice small. "Would you support _me_?"

Hock seemed taken aback by her question. "Well, Lulu, singing as a career would mean you were away from home a lot," he explained. "Your mother practically _lived_ in her dressing room. And besides, have you even ever _tried_ to sing? I mean, if you really want to do it, I can hire a tutor for you, and maybe in a couple of years-"

"I tried out to be the Indigo-Go's lead singer," she blurted out, tired of holding back. "I made the cut. Toto said I can sing as well as mother did, maybe even _better_. He said that the job is mine if I wanted it, and I do." She took a deep breath, winded from her miniature speech, carefully watching her father's face. "Besides, I think it's time I leave, father. I'm not a child anymore, I'm an adult. Most girls have moved away from home and started their careers already."

"Most of them have gotten married too, Lulu, and you still refuse to do that," her father pointed out, although he still seemed to be in shock.

"Most of them have gotten married to people they _love_," she refuted. "A man or woman they fell in love with while they were younger. But I never had anyone close enough to me to experience that, because _you_ always scared them away."

Lulu could practically _see_ her father's heart break, and sighed.

"I love you, father, but I just think it's time for me to move on," she explained. "This is a chance for me to actually _do_ something with my life. I'm sorry, but.. I think I have to do this."

She turned away from her father, not wanting to look back at his stunned expression, and shut the door gently behind her. Moving towards her room with the intent of packing some clothes and a few sentimental items to hold her over until she got a chance to _really_ move out, she kept telling herself that this was what was best for both her and her father. Once she was gone, he wouldn't have as much to worry about, and he might actually be able to properly mourn for her mother.

Even telling herself things like that, leaving her home was hard to swallow. But Toto had offered her a room at the hall, which would be most convenient for both the band and for her, and she was ready to leave the figurative nest.

She hoped.


	2. Love At First Sight

_** Forever and For Always**_

_** Chapter Two**_

_LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT_

**Music:**

"Love at First Sight" by Kylie Minogue

* * *

><p>Lulu sat at one of the tables in the cafeteria, mulling over a cold plate of food. Since moving out of her father's place, she had barely eaten and only slept a bare minimum- it was the guilt from leaving her father alone that made her feel that way, but still she felt like it was the right decision. It was time for her to leave the nest.<p>

"Are you feeling okay, Lulu? You've barely touched your food."

The young woman smiled up at Tijo as he sat down across from her. "No, no, I've just been thinking," she replied. "Ah- the other auditions start today, right?"

It had been three days since Lulu moved into the Zora Hall and everything had basically stalled since she'd arrived; Toto and Tijo had been very nice about showing her around and teaching her how everything was done, and Evan had been showing her the material that the band already had, which was a mix of work from her mother's days with the band and some things he and Tijo had already started working on. With her mostly settled in to her quarters, however, Toto had announced that they'd be starting auditions for a guitarist and bassist.

"Yeah, and we've got a lot of people lined up," he said. "You should probably eat up, it's going to be a long day. You're going to need energy."

Lulu plucked at her salad, not wanting to make things awkward. Tijo dug into his own meal and thankfully didn't pay much attention to the fact that she was barely eating. When he was almost finished, she excused herself and tossed the rest of her food into the trash, putting the tray away while Tijo was finishing up. When they were done, Toto approached the two of them.

"Good afternoon, future starlets! Let's hope today goes as smoothly as the singer auditions," he said, adding a throaty chuckle at the end. "If we can get everything wrapped up today, we'll be able to start booking gigs and get the ball rolling."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Toto," Tijo said as he cleaned off his own tray. "We got a _major_ lucky break with Lulu, and lightning rarely strikes twice." Lulu blushed at the compliment. "Let's just hope we find _something_ today. Anyway, where's Evan?"

"Oh, he's been doing sound checks all morning," Toto replied. "You know, making sure nothing's going to go wrong during the performances today. He's quite the hard worker! C'mon, walk with me down to the stage, kids, the first audition is lined up to start in fifteen minutes."

As the two young band members followed the older manager, Lulu hummed to herself, something she'd become quite prone to doing; when she lived with her father, she'd always been so quiet while she was puttering around the house, but now that she was in such a musical environment, it just felt _right_. Soon, Toto was humming along.

"You're going to have an absolutely _addictive_ voice, my dear," he said enthusiastically. "Oh, this will be _so_ brilliant."

"I hope you're right," she said, momentarily pausing in her humming. As they walked into the main hall, Evan waved them over from the stage. "Hello, Evan. How's your morning been?"

The male zora hopped down from the stage where he'd been checking wires. "Busy," he replied. "These guys don't know how to wire _anything_. Is the first audition here yet?"

"He still has ten minutes left to get here, calm down," Toto assured him as he took his seat by the front of the stage. Tijo and Lulu settled on either side of him as Evan climbed down, taking the one empty seat next to Lulu. He turned to her and gave her a smile, and she smiled back, blushing a little. A few moments later, the door to the Zora Hall swung open.

"Sorry if I'm late," apologized a fumbling zora as he ran inside. "I had some things to take care of before I got here.. I'm ready to go, though."

As he climbed up onto the stage, Lulu folded her legs and places her hands in her lap. He picked up the guitar sitting on the stand, adjusting his position in front of the microphone and clearing his throat. As soon as he plucked the first string, everyone jumped a little.

After a minute or so of torture, Toto stood up. "Thank you very much, that was wonderful. We'll let you know after we hear the other auditions."

"Ah, thank you," the auditioning zora said as he set the provided guitar back in place. "I, uh, did I leave my information?"

"Yes, yes, when you signed up for the auditions," the manager assured him. "Have a nice day, now."

As the zora climbed down from the stage and left the building, Lulu cleared her throat. "Well, that wasn't _so_ bad, I suppose."

Evan inhaled deeply and rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "Let's just.. get through this with our ears intact, please."

* * *

><p>Several hours and several dozen horrendous auditions later, Lulu walked down the beach as the sun started to set in the distance. Her delicate fins fluttered in the breeze as she walked, feeling the ocean waves wash up around her feet. As she walked, she hummed gently to the first tune that came to mind, an old folk song. She had hoped the auditions would go quickly, as she was excited to get started on her singing career. Unfortunately, every person they'd auditioned had barely been able to play the instrument.<p>

Just as she started to wonder if abandoning her father to join the band had been a bad idea, she heard the gentle sounds of string music. She followed the sound, walking through a rock archway to reach a small clearing with a little wading pool. At the other end of the clearing, she saw two male zora sitting together on a set of rocks, dipping their feet in the water to cool off. One held a guitar, the other a bass guitar, and the two were playing together. Not wanting to bother them, she hung back and listened.

* * *

><p>Mikau and Japas had been friends since they were freshly hatched, belonging to the clutches of two very close families. They'd been essentially inseparable since, even isolating themselves from other zora their age in order to spend more time together. Eventually, around their teenage years, they discovered a mutual love for music and had become drawn to their individual instruments; Mikau fell in love with the guitar while Japas had taken up the bass. They would spend hours at a time locked away in one of their bedrooms, playing and writing songs until neither of them could feel their fingers anymore. Most of their peer group thought they were strange, even crazy for focusing so much on their music and on each other, but they just ignored it. When they entered their adult lives, the first thing they'd done was pool the money they'd made from odds and ends jobs and got themselves a small house. They hadn't needed any more than a small one bedroom place, and everything had been very comfortable for them so far.<p>

That day they'd ventured out of their isolation and wandered down to the small cove not far from their backyard, instruments in hand. When they needed some fresh air and to dip their feet in the water to relax and cool off, they would steal away there; it was a nice spot and close to a fairly populated area, but the entrances were very well hidden in the cliff walls and kept the place from overflowing with people.

Mikau sat and strummed gingerly at the strings of his guitar, humming along to the tune as best he could; he'd never been very good with his voice, but Japas always seemed to enjoy it. Mikau was built like the average zora male, with a long head fin, a delicate white-blue colouration and two big round black eyes. Cerulean coloured markings dotted his back and legs, as well as the back of his head fin. There was one thing that set him apart from the average zora male, however; colourful tattoos covering every part of his body. They adorned the front of his head, as well as his chest, arms and legs. He'd gotten them done in a fit of adolescent rebellion, during a time when his parents had been worried about his social isolation and had tried to limit his time with Japas to encourage him to go out and make other friends. They'd become a very iconic part of his appearance since then.

Japas leaned against his friend, letting Mikau set the pace and tone of the music; they never played from sheet music, just whatever happened to pop into their minds at the time. No matter what they played, they were always in perfect harmony, although the two of them knew that it was most likely because they were paying less attention to the music itself and more attention to the feeling and to each other. Japas also resembled the average zora male, although he had overgrown fins that hung in his eyes, akin to the Terminian hair. He was rather plain in comparison to Mikau's bright tattoos, but he didn't mind; he was much the same in personality, always more willing to follow Mikau's lead than to take charge himself. Mikau was a leader and Japas was a follower; it was one of the reasons they got along so well.

"Hmm.. ah.. how about this?" Japas interjected himself into the riff Mikau had been assembling, adding a strong backing to the song. Mikau grinned widely as he heard the intertwining chords of the two instruments producing a harmonious melody.

"Ooh, yeah, I like that," the more colourful zora replied. "Here, listen to this one." He waited a moment for a natural stop in the song before starting up a second one, letting his fingers walk freely. Japas swayed a little to the much gentler melody that Mikau had chosen, eventually resting his head on the other zora's shoulder. As he started strumming his bass, he tilted his head and nuzzled into the crook of Mikau's neck. Mikau returned the affectionate gesture, nuzzling against the top of his head. Their melody had turned very gentle and romantic, reflecting their current state. They were so absorbed in each other that they didn't notice a shy zora female lurking near the entrance of their little cove. Eventually, however, Mikau opened his eyes and saw the girl lingering on the edges of the pool. "Hey, check it out, we have an audience."

Japas peered out from under his fins, just in time to see the girl realize they were looking at her. She blushed a little and he smiled. "A cute one, too," he murmured, too quiet for her to hear.

"I'm sorry," she called from across the cove. "I don't mean to intrude, but I heard your music from the beach and I thought it sounded very nice." She took a few cautious steps forward and the the two male zora waved her ahead, giving her the confidence to stride directly up to them. They didn't get to play for an appreciative audience very often; when they did, it was always a nice treat. Even as they talked to the girl, they played quietly in the background; at least, Japas did, Mikau trying to keep up when he could. He seemed thoroughly distracted by their unexpected visitor. The more relaxed zora looked up at his friend through his fins and couldn't repress a cheeky grin when he saw that he was blushing. Looking at the zora girl, he realized she was blushing as well.

"We're always happy to play for someone who likes our music," Japas said. "That is, if Mikau would ever pick his jaw up off of the floor." The colourfully tattooed zora smacked his friend upside the head, blushing an even deeper shade. He grinned awkwardly at the female zora, who smiled shyly back. Japas shook his head fondly.

"Actually, ah- I know this is pretty sudden, but I'm actually a member of a band that's holding auditions down at the Hall, and we're looking for a guitarist and a bassist.." she explained, folding her hands in front of her. "You two sound very good. I think you'd have a very good chance."

Mikau and Japas shared a look. "We've- never really _performed_ before," Mikau said. "And we mostly play whatever pops into our heads."

The zora girl blushed again, looking away. "That's okay," she said. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

As she started to walk away, Japas looked at Mikau. The blush on his face was still a little apparent as he watched the girl getting farther and farther away. The bass player sighed.

Japas and Mikau had never really been into the dating scene, having been socially awkward and not really interested in changing that image. Instead, the two of them had just always been much closer than the average pair of friends; that was one of the reasons they didn't need a house with any more than one bedroom. They were each others firsts for pretty much everything. But their relationship wasn't necessarily _romantic_, in the purest sense of the word- they were lovers, soul-mates and best friends, but they weren't a couple. Japas had never been much of a couple person to begin with and it didn't at all bother him, but he knew that Mikau was the sort of person who dreamed of a beach side house and two clutches of hatchlings swimming around him. The fact that he spent most of his time with Japas meant this wasn't like to happen any time soon, however- at least, without a little intervention.

The more plain zora nudged his friend in the side. "Maybe this'll be good for us," he said. "We could use the cash."

Mikau looked at him in confusion, before nodding and jumping up, leaving Japas there as he chased after the female zora. "Hey, wait a second," he called. The girl stopped in her tracks, looking back at him just in time for him to catch up to her. "We might be interested. When and where?"

She smiled at him. "We're holding the auditions right now in Zora Hall. If you come with me, we can get there before the cut off."

Japas lingered back, approaching the two at a leisurely pace. Getting just within earshot, he heard Mikau ask, "Ah- what's your name?"

"Lulu," the female zora replied. "And you?"

"Mikau," he replied. "And this is my friend Japas." He gestured behind him, sensing the other male zora approaching. He gave a little wave. "So, uh.. lead the way, I guess."

Lulu smiled at the two of them, gesturing for them to follow her. As they walked down the beach, Japas purposely let himself fall behind, still able to see and follow but just out of hearing range.

"So, uh.. what's your band called?" Mikau asked, not noticing Japas fall behind.

"The Indigo-Go's," she replied. Mikau looked at her with wide eyes.

"You mean like, _the _Indigo-Go's?" he asked, sounding astonished. Lulu blushed and laughed a little.

"Well, a new version of it," Lulu replied. "The manager of the old band decided to get some people together to start it up again. Why, are you a fan?"

"I used to go see them all the time as a kid," he replied. "You know, you actually look a lot like the old singer. You've got the same name, too." Lulu giggled.

"That's because she was my mother," she replied. "That's how I know the band manager."

"That's pretty awesome," he commented. "So like mother like daughter, huh?"

The female zora laughed again. "I suppose," she replied. "I don't think I'm as good a performer as my mother, though."

"It's kind of a high standard to hold yourself to," Mikau pointed out. "Lulu- your mom, I mean- was a performer for longer than I've been alive."

Looking off into the distance, Lulu nodded. "I suppose so," she said. After reaching a lull in the conversation, she looked around only to realize that Japas wasn't walking with them anymore. Looking behind her she realized that he had fallen behind while they'd been talking, and stopped. Mikau followed suit until the other male zora caught up, walking on the other side of his close friend.

* * *

><p>It didn't take them long to get to the Zora Hall. Mikau and Japas admired the outside of the building; they hadn't been there since they were young, and it was nice to be back. As they stepped inside, they saw a few stagehands and a zora with very eel-like features disassembling the equipment on stage. "Wait! I have some last minute auditions," Lulu announced.<p>

Toto, Evan and Tijo looked at her, then at the two male zora following her. Toto raised an eyebrow.

"Where did you find these two, Lulu?" the band manager asked.

"They were playing just down the beach from here," she replied, indicating the instruments the two male zora were carrying. "They were good, Toto. They can play."

Evan sighed. "No matter what they do, they _cannot_ be any worse than what we've already heard," he pointed out. He then turned to the two newcomers, nodding towards the stage. "Let's hear what you can do." He hopped down from where he was helping the stagehands to dismantle the set and took his seat in front, alongside Toto and Tijo.

Mikau and Japas turned to each other and grinned, looking completely smug; Mikau was the first to climb up on stage, extending a hand to help Japas up after him. The stagehands scurried off the stage like excited minnows running from a predator, watching from the sidelines. Both started to tune their instruments, giving a few testing strums before looking at the band manager and band members at the front of the stage, including Lulu who had taken her seat while they'd been tuning.

"Is there anything specific you want us to play?" Mikau asked. Toto waved a hand in dismissal.

"No, no," he replied. "Maybe in a bit. Just play whatever you feel like playing for now."

The two shared another grin. "You wanna start?" asked Japas. Mikau shrugged, then started to strum at his guitar. After a few moments of improvisation, Japas jumped in. They were in perfect harmony, as always, and before long they forgot they were still being watched.

When they stopped, they were greeted with silence, until the band manager jumped onto his chair and started to clap wildly. "Bravo, bravo! That was astounding!"

Even the surly band leader seemed impressed, and both Lulu and Tijo were sharing a little smile. "They're definitely _leagues_ better than anything we've heard today," Evan agreed. He then turned to the band manager. "But before you start writing up a contract, how about we have them play one of _our_ songs? I mean, they weren't even reading music there."

Toto nodded. "Of course, of course. Why don't you run and fetch the sheet music for them, Evan?" he suggested. He then turned to Lulu. "And Lulu, why don't you go up and join them on stage?"

The singer looked at him, a little confused judging by her facial expression. "Me? Why?" she asked.

"Well, guitar, bass and vocals are the three parts of our musical ensemble that have to be the most harmonious," he replied. "Besides, you've been practising the songs, and these two will be playing them for the first time. It's always helpful when learning a new song to be performing alongside someone who already knows the material."

"But- I don't know them all _that_ well," she replied. "I would hate to mess them up.."

"Nonsense, you could only improve their performance," he assured her. "And it'll be important for us to gauge how well you work with these two. What are your names, boys?" he asked, turning to the two male zora.

"I'm Japas, this is Mikau," the shaggier zora replied. Before any more casual conversation could be sparked, Evan came running back with the sheet music Toto had asked him to retrieve. Without even being prompted, two stagehands scurried out onto the stage with two music stands, setting one up in front of each of the string instrument performers. The eel-like zora handed the two auditioning artists the copies of sheet music, which they places on the music stands and examined. Evan took his seat as Lulu climbed onto stage with Mikau and Japas, straightening her dress as she took her place between the two. Evan exchanged a look with Toto and the band manager just nodded.

"We're ready when you are," the small puffer fish zora announced. Lulu cleared her throat and rubbed the front of it like Tijo and Toto had taught her to do. She then looked at Mikau, then at Japas, both of them nodding and turning back to the sheet music. The female zora peeked at one copy of the sheet music, just to see what song she was supposed to be singing, then took a deep breath and swallowed back her fear.

Music flowed effortlessly from mouth and instruments as the three were signalled to begin. Lulu felt her stomach begin to clench when she saw how intently Evan and Toto were watching and evaluating the performance, but it loosened when her eyes wandered to Tijo, who smiled at her and gave her two thumbs up. For the rest of the song she focused on her new friend rather than on the band manager and keyboardist of the group, reminding herself that she wasn't the one being evaluated. When they reached the end of the music, her eyes wandered back to the other two in order to gauge their reactions.

"I think we've seen all we need to see, wouldn't you agree boys?" Toto asked, turning to Tijo and Evan. They both nodded. He then turned back to the stage. "Congratulations, Mikau and Japas! You are officially members of the new Indigo-Go's."

Lulu turned to the male zora and smiled before climbing back down to join the other members of the band. Mikau and Japas just shared their own personal smile.

"Do you two live nearby?" Toto asked. The two of them nodded.

"Just down the beach from here," Mikau replied. The small male zora clapped once, almost startlingly loud.

"Perfect! There are rooms for you here in case you ever need them, but that seems like it won't be the case," he said. "Now that we have a full group, we can start practices.. does everyone agree on tomorrow?"

He looked at the group members, including Japas and Mikau who had just climbed down from the stage and joined. There were a few murmurs and shrugs, but eventually everyone nodded.

"Perfect! Then let's all meet here in the hall for, oh.. 2 o'clock?" he suggested. "On most days we'll have to start earlier but today's been sort of a long day so I'm sure everyone's going to want to sleep in tomorrow."

Everyone seemed to perk up a little when he mentioned sleeping in, nodding and murmuring more vigorously. Toto clapped loudly again.

"Okay, everyone! That's it for today. Get a good sleep tonight everyone, it'll be a long practice tomorrow." With that, he waved the five performers off; Evan put his hands behind his head and headed for his bedroom while the other four lingered.

"I'm Tijo," the large drummer said as he shook Mikau's hand, then Japas'. "Don't mind Evan, he's pretty guys were really good. Where'd you learn to play like that?"

Both of the newcomers shrugged. "Nowhere, really," Japas replied for both of them. "We just sort of taught ourselves."

Lulu smiled at them, both her and Tijo looking impressed. "You're very talented," she said. Both Mikau and Japas blushed a little, although Mikau turned darker than his friend.

"Thanks," he said. "You were amazing."

It was Lulu's turn to blush, turning a dark purple. "Thank you," she said. "I'm just glad I didn't mess up your auditions."

For a moment, Mikau and Lulu just sort of looked at each other, both blushing. After a while Japas elbowed his best friend in the ribs and Tijo tapped the female zora on the shoulder, startling them both out of their miniature trance.

"We'd better get home," Japas said. "Grab some grub and then get some shut-eye." Mikau nodded at Japas' suggestion, then turned back to Lulu.

"I guess we'll see you tomorrow then," he said. Lulu smiled.

"I guess so," she replied. "Have a good night."

"You too."

Japas rolled his eyes behind his fin fringe, sure the exchange would go on forever if he didn't drag Mikau off before it had a change to continue. He took his friend by the hand and led him gently towards the door, causing him to almost stumble and curse. Lulu giggled at the sight before turning to Tijo.

"Is the cafeteria still serving dinner?" she asked.

"Should be," he replied. The two walked off together towards the lunch room. "So. They seem nice."

Lulu looked down at the ground, her cheeks still flushed. "Yeah. They do."

* * *

><p>Japas closed the door behind himself, removing the bass guitar from his back and slinging it onto a hook like one would be expected to do with a coat. Mikau, walking ahead of his friend, still had his with him; he removed it as he sat on their living room couch, strumming a few simple chords. The shaggier zora wandered into the kitchen, pulling ingredients out of the fridge; between the two of them, Japas had always been the natural cook. In fact, he was rather afraid of letting Mikau into the kitchen; it never ended well.<p>

"So we now officially have real jobs," he said. "Feels weird."

"Better than scraping barnacles and trimming seaweed for a living," the guitarist replied, folding his legs under him and cradling the guitar in his lap. "It's our first real break."

"We'd have probably gotten one sooner if we'd ever actually _tried_," Japas pointed out as pots, pans and dishes rattled while he worked his magic. "I guess it'll be fun, at least. That Evan or whatever guy seems like he has a real stick up his ass, though."

Mikau couldn't help but laugh at his comment. "Aw, he doesn't seem _so_ bad. Maybe just a little one."

Japas laughed back, then went silent for a few moments, audible only through the sound of kitchenware. "That Tijo guy was nice, though. And Lulu."

Mikau smiled fondly down at his guitar. "Yeah, sh- they were," he replied.

"Lulu was awfully cute, too," the shaggy zora pointed out. Mikau blushed a little, glad his friend couldn't see him.

"So you mentioned," he replied. "Yeah, she was. She looks a lot like her mom."

Japas whistled a merry tune as he slid slabs of driftwood into the wood stove, igniting it with matches he'd bought from a Terminian merchant a few weeks ago. It lit up with a brilliant yellow flame and closed the door to the appliance and placed a pot with water on top of it to let it boil. Leaving the water there, he ventured out into the living room to join Mikau.

"The two of you really seemed to hit it off," he hinted as he sat down next to Mikau. The male zora blushed even more. "You should ask her out."

"I'm happy the way things are now," he replied, reaching out to grab Japas' hand. He rubbed his thumb over his friend's palm, which made Japas tilt his head into his own shoulder and make an almost purring sound of contentment. "I like living here, with you. I don't need to start dating. I've already told you that."

"I know, but.." Japas sighed, both irritated and incredibly comfortable. He had incredibly sensitive hands. "I know you're going to want more, eventually. And you and Lulu were practically falling all over each other there."

Mikau stopped rubbing his palm, and Japas made an unhappy noise. "She wasn't falling all over me," he replied. "She was just being nice."

Japas laughed. "She was falling all over you. You both have _such a crush_, dude."

Mikau blushed. Mostly because he knew it was true.


End file.
